Rand Paul filibuster shows what active citizenship can achieve

Rand Paul did something truly amazing on March 6, 2013. He captured the attention of the entire country with his modern day version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

His filibuster represented the will of the vast majority of Americans. It was one person standing up to the most powerful person in the world in a non-violent way to keep the government from doing something against the will of the people.

Citizens from across the political spectrum voiced their support for Rand Paul. Reddit (which is mostly liberal in its views) showed massive support and enthusiasm for Senator Paul. Students at colleges and universities took to Twitter and Facebook to voice their support of the filibuster. A Gallup poll later revealed that 79% of people polled agreed that the government should not be allowed to use drone strikes on Americans in the United States.

So why is this such an important achievement? Rand Paul’s filibuster represents the pinnacle of what active citizenship can achieve. Ordinary citizens that have become disgusted with their government and its direction were able to vote a senator into office that they can depend on to represent them on issues that are important to them.

The President of the United States wanted to appoint someone that was fine with using drone strikes on American citizens. Rand Paul knew that this was completely unacceptable to the vast majority of the country. He took an incredible risk and was able to get the President to change course.

This is what a representative democracy is all about. Not all of us can be Rand Paul, but we can all try to elect more leaders like him.

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About ActiveCitizenship.org

Active citizens are the lifeblood of a democracy. The government in a democracy exists to serve the citizens and guarantee their freedom. It's the job of every citizen to tell the government what to do and to demand that it be accountable. If too many people become complacent with their government, it will focus on growing in size and power. This is the equivalent of having a boss that approves everything you ask for.

The best way to ensure an active citizenry is through education. Students at colleges and universities should be given mandatory courses in civics and government. Everyone should be taught the philosophies and thinking of John Locke, Voltaire and our founding fathers. They all experienced tyranny and knew how important it was to safeguard against it.

College is the best time to engage students. They are able to vote and have a strong desire to improve the world through activism. Instilling a desire to care about government and to keep it accountable are the keys to making sure our democracy continues to thrive.

"A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election." - Bill Vaughan